Vise



L. S. STARRET'T.

VISE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 13. 1920.

Patented Sept. 12,1922.

2 SHEETSSHET 2 [zzvezziar 41319 5? Smut?! I 29 im? Patented Sept. 12, 1922.

'UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LAROY S. STARRETT, OF ATI'IOL, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO ATHOL MACHINE COMPANY, OF ATI-IOL, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

VISE.

Application filed December 13, 1920. Serial No. 430,202.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LAROY S. STARRETT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Athol, county of WVorcester, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vises, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to vises and particularly to a quick acting vise. In a vise of this type the end sought is the maximum freedom of travel of the movable jaw during preliminary adjustment coupled with a restoration of the positive function of the vise in gripping the-work after the initial adjustment has been made. These two desired features are obviously difficult to obtain without undue complication. Such complication prevents satisfactory commercial product-ion of the vise itself or leads to complications in its manipulation by which the workman is apt to be hindered rather than helped.

The object of my present invention is to provide a vise affording thebefore mentioned freedom of quick adjustment and a sure and self-acting restoration of the positive feed by which the grip on the work is tightened. The principles of my invention will be more fully set forth in the specifica- 'tion which follows and for that purpose I have shown and will describe a vise structure which I have found well adapted both to manufacture and to practical use. Throughout the specification and drawings like reference characters are correspondingly employed,and in the drawings Fig. I is a partly sectioned side view of a quick-acting vise in accordance with my invention.

Fig. II is an end view of the same.

Fig. III is an end view of the thread block and operating mechanism in set position.

Fig. IV is a similar view in released position.

I Fig. V is a view of the eccentric shaft removed.

tion I have indicated at 1 the usual fixed jaw of a vise of the quick-acting type, and at 2 a suitable base upon which said jaw 1 and the movable jaw 3 are mounted. The guide 4 of the jaw 3 passes through the fixed jaw, and is preferably hollow in accordance with the usual practice in this type of device. I

Within said guide 4 a screw 5 is journalled at 6 and 7 and rotated by the bar 8 in the head9. In place of the usual fixed nut of the base I provide a nut block 10 formed along its upper edge with a thread 10 corresponding to that of the screw 5, the block 10 at said upper edge being formed as a semi-cylindrical bearing 11 to receive the screw 5 and give maximum engagement therewith as will be seen in Figs. III and IV. The body of the block 10 as herein shown is disposed as a long narrow web of oblong cross section affording a wide bearing in the socket 13 formed in the base 2.v The block 10 is moved from engaged to dlsengaged position by a shaft 14 having an eccentric 15 working in a slot 15 in the forward edge of the block. The shaft 14 has a handle 16 and is surrounded by a collar 17, held by a set screw 18. The collar 17 is channelled at 19 to receive a spring 20 one end of which is made fast in the head of the collar while its opposite end is engaged with a stud 21 set on the base of the ma chine. The inner end of the collar 17 is flanged as shown at 17 and provided with a short segment of peripheral ratchet teeth 23. These teeth are adapted to be engaged by a gravity pawl 24 pivoted at 25 and having atail 26 conveniently disposed at oneside for ready engagement. With the shaft 14 set so as to bring the eccentric 15 into its highest position the threaded channel or half nut portion 11 of the block 10 is in complete engagement with the screw 5. With the parts in this position and with the set screw 18 free, adjustment is made by turning the collar 17 until sufficient tension is brought on the spring 20 and so that the teeth23 come under the influence of the pawl 24. The set screw 18 is then tightened and the vise ready for operation. In case the spring 20 should weaken or if a new spring should be put on 45 7 engage the threads it is of great importance the collar 17 may be again adjusted for spring tension and correct ratchet tooth position.

In operation the nut block 10 is first brought to the disengaged position shown in Fig. IV by turning the handle 16 to the The workman supporting the work against the vise jaw 1 may now bring the movable jaw 3 up against .itwith his other hand. [A

slight touch now on the tail 26 of the grav ity pawl 24 releases that pawl which permits the spring 20 to throw the block 10 upward. On the average the threads 10 of the bearing ll will immediately find and engage the threads of the screw 5 so that the positive function of the vise is immediately resumed and the jaws'tight'ened on the work by. the movement of the bar 8.

In engaging two threaded members by movement transverse to the axis of the rotation it is possible and does sometimes happen that the threads do not exactly register and'interengage. My invention, however, provides for this and makes suchiailurc of registry wholly unimportant. This is due to the fact that the block 10 is being raised under the urge of the spring 20.. This is not only suflicient to bring the block high enough to engage the threads but. also to hold it somewhat in engagement. If the threads fail ofengagement the first slight movement of rotation of the screw 5 will bring the threadsinto registry whereupon thespring 20 will immediately complete the engage-- ment. -l/Vhile the spring 20 would of course that the block 10 be firmly supported while the jaws are being tightened and strain brought on the screw. v

As will-be seen by reference to Fig. III, the eccentric 15 is so disposedas' to be just beyond dead center when atthe height of its rotation. This supports the block .10 positively and without danger of disengagement. ,In its lowered position shown in Fig.

IV, the block 10 is also held without strain against return due to the fact that the eccentric 15 is again on dead center thus r'elievingto a considerable extent the strain on the pawl 24. As soon as the pawl 24 has been disengaged and the ratchet segment 23 begins to rotate,,the end of the, pawl 24 will.

be found to have dropped upon' the untoothed inner flange 17 of the collar 17.

Various modifications in the construction and arrangements of parts and details of my device may obviously be resorted to, all. without departing from the spirit of my invention it .withinthe limit of the appended claims.

What I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a vise having a fixed and a movable jaw and a screw for adjusting said movable jaw, a threaded member movable into and out of engagementwith said screw, a wrist pin for moving said threaded member into and out of engagement, a spring-controlled mechanism for moving said threaded member into engaged position and a releasable detent for holding said springcontrolled mechanism against operating movement.

2. In a vise, the combination with a fixed and a movable jaw, of athreaded member -movable into and out of engagement with said screw and having an 'o-peningin one wall thereof extending towards but termi nating short of the opposite wall, and an operating stem term natmg at its nner end in a wrist pin disposed in said opening oi the threaded member forpositively moving" said threaded member in either direction.

8. In a vise having a fixedand a movable jaw and a threadedmember for adjusting said movable j aw, a complementary threaded member movable into and out otengagement of said coacting members being movable:

into and out of engagement with the other member, and a spring-controlled device for bringing said membersinto engagement, and a releasable pawl and ratchet mechanism for holding said spring-controlled device against action. V y Y 5. In a vise, a pair of coacting jaws, means for imparting to said aws positive relative movement, means for freeing one jaw from the positive movement'means, a spring control for restoring the means of positive movement to operative relation to said jaw, and a releasable pawl and ratchet mechanism for said spring control whereby its restoring movement may besuspended. p

6. In a vise, a fixed jaw, a movable jaw, a screw for adjusting said'mova'ble jaw, a clamp movable into and out of engagement with said screw, a rotatable operating shaft for moving said clamp relative to said screw,

a' spring associated with said shaft and tending to normally, urge said clamp into engagement with said screw, and compressed when the clamp is disengaged from the screw, a ratchet mounted on said shaft to rotate therewith, and a pawl normally engaged with said ratchet to hold the clamp out of engagement with the screw and releasable to permit the spring to expand and rotate the shaft to carry the clamp into engagement with the screw.

7. In a vise, a fixed jaw, a movable jaw, a screw for adjusting said movable jaw, a clamp movable into and out of engagement with said screw and having a slot, a rotatable operating shaft having a wrist pin disposed in said slot to move said clamp relative to said screw, a spring associated with said shaft and tending to normally urge said clamp into engagement with said screw, and compressed when the clamp is disengaged from the screw, a ratchet mounted on said shaft to rotate therewith, and a pawl normally engaged with said ratchet to hold the clamp out of engagement with the screw and releasable to permit the spring to expand and rotate the shaft to carry the clamp into engagement with the screw.

8. In a vise having a fixed and a movable jaw, and a screw for adjusting said movable jaw, a clamp movable into and out of engagement with said screw, means for raising and lowering said clamp, including a spring normally tending to urge said clamp into engagement with said screw and compressed when the clamp and screw are disengaged, a ratchet having a series of ratchet teeth extending partially about the periphery thereof and having a plain portion, and a pawl normally engaged with said ratchet teeth to hold the clamp out of engagement with the screw and releasable to move against the plain portion of said ratchet to permit the spring to expand and carry the clamp into engagement with the screw.

9. in a vise having a fixed and a movable jaw and screw for adjusting said movable jaw, a clamp having a slot and movable into and out of engagement with said screw, a shaft having a wrist pin disposed in said slot of the clamp for raising and lowering said clamp, a spring coiled about said shaft and normally tending to urge said clamp into engagement with said screw and compressed when the clamp and screw are dis engaged, a collar on said shaft having a series of ratchet teeth extending partially about the periphery thereof and having a plain-portion, and a pawl normally engaged with said ratchet teeth to hold the clamp out of engagement with the screw and releasable to move against the plain portion of said collar to permit the spring to expand and rotate the shaft to carry the clamp into engagement with the screw.

10. In a vise, the combination with a fixed and a movable jaw and a screw for adjusting said movable jaw, of a threaded member movable into and out of engagement with said screw and a single operating stem having a wrist pin engageable with said threaded member for positively moving said threaded member in either direction, and disposed so as to be just beyond dead center when engaged with the screw and on dead center when disengaged from said screw.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of a witness.

LAROY S. STARRETT.

Witness:

FRANK E. WING. 

